I have been doing some research about homeschooling my grandson who lives in my home and I have custody of. I am getting more and more frustrated with the school and his teacher who has pretty much written him off as un-teachable. I am an adult educator and I know for a fact that there is no one who is un-teachable.

Anyway, my question is: In the state of California, do I need to have a teaching credential in order to teach my grandson myself at home? The information that I have been getting seems to contradict itself. Should I use a satellite program as a legal covering? I have a Masters in education as an adult educator but I do not have a credential for the 4th grade level.

Cherb2016 wrote:I have been doing some research about homeschooling my grandson who lives in my home and I have custody of. I am getting more and more frustrated with the school and his teacher who has pretty much written him off as un-teachable. I am an adult educator and I know for a fact that there is no one who is un-teachable.

Anyway, my question is: In the state of California, do I need to have a teaching credential in order to teach my grandson myself at home? The information that I have been getting seems to contradict itself. Should I use a satellite program as a legal covering? I have a Masters in education as an adult educator but I do not have a credential for the 4th grade level.

ThanksCherb

Please note that I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice.

No, you do not need a teaching credential.

Here's the law in California:

Children must be enrolled in a public school or in a private school, or tutored full-time by a credentialed teacher.

Private schools must file a Private School Affidavit (PSA) each year between October 1 and 15. They must have teachers who are persons capable of teaching (no description of what that means); teach in English; offer the same subjects that public schools do (no requirements on scope and sequence); and keep an attendance calendar on which they have indicated when students are absent. There are no requirements for the number of students, school days, standardized testing, or graduation.

Most people file affidavits with just their own children on them. There are also "Private School Satellite Programs" (PSPs), which is when someone files the affidavit and people enroll their children in that school. There might or might not be a campus. Enrolling one's children in a PSP is neither more nor less legal than filling an affidavit.

So, no, you do not have to have a degree at all in order to teach your grandson at home (which is also to say that none of the private schools in California are required by law to hire credentialed teachers, or even college-educated teachers).

If you decide to teach him at home, these are the steps recommended by Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA): Wait until a major break (e.g., Thanksgiving or Christmas); join HSLDA first; then officially withdraw your child. If you decide to enroll him in a PSP, do that first, then let the PSP request his records. The law does not require people to officially withdraw their children from school, but if they don't, the schools will assume that the children are truant when they just quit showing up each day.

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